Guyon Espiner's interview with the PM this morning was, on the surface, robust. But the extraordinary thing about the interview, and the follow up discussion with the political editor, was how it was framed as a vigorous defense by the journalists of the neoliberal status quo – tax cuts are more efficient, the government itself is the problem for not following the advice of neoliberal civil service, the issue for the journalists seems to be the very concept of an active government.
Lately we've been hearing an increasingly hysterical defense from National and most of the establishment MSM of the Thatcher/Reagan monetarist settlement and demands we return to that status quo with the usual prescription austerity, running down of government services, tax cuts for the rich, wage suppression via unchecked immigration and housing bubbles.
With the rise of dark money propaganda – which of which will be subject of zero curiosity or scrutiny from an establishment MSM happy to re-print press releases from a thicket of false fronts set up by the the likes of Jordan Williams – It is going to be a very dirty election in 2023. A lot of fat cats are relying on the right returning us to the true path of Rogernomics and they are willing to pay what it takes.
Just listened to both the interview (linked above) and the follow up with Jane Patterson (it's the second topic she addresses, after the proposed legislative change to close the NZF electoral donations loophole)
I didn't hear any "vigorous defence by the journalists of the neoliberal status quo" It's the job of journalists to ask hard questions – I'm sure many listeners would have been wondering 'why not tax cuts?' – which I thought that Ardern answered very effectively (tax cuts are inflationary long term, the targeted payment is less inflationary, and is short term)
The points made by Patterson in the follow-up were:
This was rushed through, and less than perfect targeting is the consequence.
IRD gave advice that they didn't have the capacity to target more specifically.
Opens the government to charges of un-targeted spending [which the NP are exploiting]
And many partners with disabilities don't get it because they had no earnings and get neither a benefit nor ACC.
This is a very much abandoned group – when I started work many employers paid an extra allowance for people who had non-working partners, you could claim a tax rebate if your partner earned under a certain amount and a few other things like life insurance rebates.
Now all the costs fall on the one partner exacerbated by Labours decision to remove underage partners from NZS.
Many of us who care for unwell partners will be working well past 65 simply to get the mortgage paid off and to try and save some money for retirement once that as done. The extra $6,000 to $7,000 in tax I pay over a couple earning the same amount each year over the last 30 years is the difference between paying my mortgage off already and being in Kiwisaver.
I'm still fortunate however that I have been in a position where I have been able to support my partner. This isn't the case for many.
Very few people in politics advocate for this group. Peter Dunne was probably the last. It does grate a little, despite understanding the practical aspects as to why this has occurred, that people overseas are getting this payment while non-working partners get zilch. Many like mine have worked in the past when well – it wouldn't be impossible to set up a system where they could apply for the payment.
David Parker was on Morning Report today saying that 1% of the cost of living payments would have gone to the wrong people.
Later on Morning Report (or maybe it was at the start of Nine to Noon) I heard that there is a mechanism to repay wrong payments and a mechanism to stop the next two payments simply by gong to the website if somebody is receiving the payment wrongly.
Yet again the media, including RNZ, is going well over the top and misleading the public in order to slam Labour.
Meanwhile on this afternoon's RNZ Panel people came on saying the $350 would be very useful as a short term alleviating measure. And David Slack made the point that this is a measure in addition to raising benefits, Working for Family and raising the minimum wage and increasing the winter fuel allowance, which are far more important measures helping the low paid implemented by this government.
The Espiner interview was an attempt to create a political storm around a minor glitch in the Cost of Living Payment to those on the lowest incomes. The vast majority of payments are going to people living in NZ, but a minority living overseas have been caught up in the system – as was expected. The amount involved will be infinitesimal in the scheme of things. Jacinda Ardern clearly and succinctly explained the problem and it was simply brushed aside by Espiner as if she had never said anything.
A calculated storm in a tea cup designed to be a supposed example of "sloppy policydone on the hoof" as postulated by Jane Patterson, whose cynical and often inaccurate analysis of government action and policies prompted me long ago to rarely listen to them.
The sense I got from both those interviews is that they were pandering to the middle classes who resent even a small payment to those on the lowest incomes at a time of considerable financial stress.
Agree Sanc. It was a maddeningly stupid piece of radio. But anything that is targeted will have problems at the boundary. Either individual injustices over who is included and who is not, or administrative issues of insufficient information to draw the boundary cleanly. It's a primary reason why universality is a good principle in social policy. If you can get support for it. Labour's caution on universality and insistence on targeting causes problems for themselves.
Also, interesting 2016 piece from the Rand corporation on Fascist Russia's "Firehose of Falsehood" propaganda techniques, the effectiveness of which is played out frequently on this site in relation the Ukraine war and whose malign hand can, IMHO, be seen in the online support for Trumpism.
Prolonged periods of stress actually have a biological effect, making us quicker to react in potentially stressful situations
Your ability to control your reactions also diminishes – where you might have walked away or vented to a friend later – you now react emotionally immediately.
Feelings of anger towards those 'in control' – people don't remember what they said, they remember how it made them feel.
Emotional anger (e.g. towards mandates) doesn't dissipate. It needs to be acknowledged.
Charismatic leaders (e.g. Tamaki & Molloy) harness that anger to get people to follow them.
Key quote
"I think there does need to be an acknowledgement of the anger rather than just putting it down to misinformation. We need to engage with all parts of society if we want them to be on board," says Eatwell.
And that there's a ripple effect. Being kind ripples outwards – as does being angry and/or unkind. We can all make a difference….
Yes. Caught my eye at 5 am and I was immediately struck by the complete inappropriateness of the attached photo.
Guns! Rage! Racism!
And a photo of a bearded chubby white dude being led away by two cops.
Didn't see where it says he was arrested (and eye gouged by the cops) when he and his mates at the Freedom Village were defending the Precious Portaloos from being removed by the cops.
Didn't see any photos of his mates…arms linked and all jammed together…who were predominantly Maori.
These people were unarmed.
No guns. No racism. And any rage was understandable in the face of the cops trying to make real the "river of filth" narrative.
I'd say to the mainstream government funded media "Do better."
Alienating and marginalizing is a pretty core social control mechanism.
We tend to be intolerant of liars, and of those that offer violence.
The Freedum crowd offered a range of both – why should they then enjoy immunity to the normal responses their anti-social behaviour invites? If we treat their false (and known to be malicious) grievances with undeserved respect, we will get even more of this dangerous folly.
Do you know of anyone who had such a severe reaction to a Pfizer injection that they would not risk having another?
Someone who thought their heart was going to explode, perhaps?
We tend to be intolerant of liars, and of those that offer violence.
Is there any chance of you seeing this from the point of view of the Pfizer injured? That they were lied to when told it was safe? That they see the mandates as an actual physical threat? Along the lines of…"Take another shot of what put you in the hospital or you'll lose your job."
I know a fellow who suffered a stroke the day he was vaccinated, and, initially many of us thought that the vaccination was a factor. He was not detected early, spent a month in hospital and still has significant loss of function. But it transpires that the vaccination was not a factor.
I'm afraid that the people beating up the antivax rhetoric are simply not to be trusted. They have an agenda to obtain power or notoriety or money, and they do not serve those with anomalous medical outcomes in any way whatsoever. They are quacks and charlatans, and must be treated severely to deter both other prospective charlatans, and to make it crystal clear to naive members of the public that these scum are not competent medical authorities, nor are they worthy of their sympathy.
Now, if you have a group of Pfizer injured persons, I am sure that competent medical practitioners will go to considerable lengths to find them alternative treatment options – but obdurate ignorant antivaxxers should not expect to work in medicine or education.
"…Didn't see where it says he was arrested (and eye gouged by the cops) when he and his mates at the Freedom Village were defending the Precious Portaloos from being removed by the cops….
Rosemary's like a dog with a bone on this issue. That can't be healthy, given the fight-back she gets every time she brings it up here.
From this distance Rosemary appears to pick and choose examples and positions in order to bolster her beliefs. No doubt we all do that and when we do, it's useful (and healthy) to acknowledge that tendency and attend to it as far as we can; self-analysis and positive introspection seems a useful tool in forging a balanced, realistic world-view.
Probably not helping the discussion, but I do like to put my spoke in whenever there's passion in a discussion 🙂
From this distance Rosemary appears to pick and choose examples and positions in order to bolster her beliefs.
You care to give examples of where I have done this? I think I have been very consistent in my position on this issue.
I am healthy, thanks. I don't really care what 'fight-back' I get on this issue here on TS. I expect the usual responses from the usual people…all very ho hum.
I do feel it is important that an alternative viewpoint is entered into these discussions. Else the record will not be reflective of the reality.
A bit disappointing that there is so little sympathy here for those who had severe adverse effects from the Pfizer product.
And I simply can't believe that I am the only person who comments here who has spoken to people who had such a severe reaction to one Pfizer shot that they would not ever risk having another.
Regarding inoculations, immunisations and medical science in general. Medical science, including endless jabs, and medications have kept me alive since the day I was born.(70.25)
So forgive my skepticism about a minute number of millions of vaccines, having side effects, and causing angst.
And I simply can't believe that I am the only person who comments here who has spoken to people who had such a severe reaction to one Pfizer shot that they would not ever risk having another.
I'm one of those (I suspect very many) people who hasn't spoken to (or seen first-hand) anyone with a severe reaction to being jabbed with the Pfizer stuff.
But even if I had, that wouldn't have put me off getting my five vaccinations (so far) this year. Boosters 1 (in Jan) and 2 (in July) against Covid, plus the annual jab against influenza, and (a first for me) two (Shingrix) vaccinations against shingles, which my GP reckons will last at least 7 years, so that's good.
Nurse: Needles don't bother you then?
Tony: Me? No. I've had too many of them, my dear. I've 'ad the lot. Got arms like pin cushions. Yes, I reckon I've 'ad a syringeful of everything that's going in my time. Needles the size of drainpipes some of 'em. You name it, I've ‘ad it!
I have not met any person with serious adverse reactions caused by the Pfizer vaccine, which is telling with over 11 million shots administered in NZ (and through work I meet and hear of a lot of people). I have many friends and colleagues who did get Covid and were feeling pretty crook from it. I had a few very distant relatives overseas dying from Covid.
All the hype around Covid-19 and the new ‘experimental’ mRNA vaccines certainly increased anxiety levels among many. I was hesitant too, waited a long time before I got my shots, and did my research homework first.
Probably reality falls in between. I think Rosemary both exaggerates and doesn't have the skill or the willingness to parse severe adverse reaction from panic attack from coincidence.
but likewise, there are people who did have reactions, this was being discussed last year in medical circles. Severe to you might mean carditis. For someone with an autoimmune disease it might mean a relapse that few other people notice. Many of those people won't be recorded well in the medical systems. Haven't looked in a while but I doubt much research is being done. And afaik the Pfizer testing excluded people with chronic illnesses.
I have heard of some major reactions, as I would expect with any immunisation programme of this scale.
The population-level benefits of this public health initiative outweigh those individual harms, unfortunately. I do not know of any way to reverse that without causing more harm to more people.
This is very much like a world war. Collective action, individual sacrifice. Been the same for centuries. We are not special. People get hurt so that others may be free from it.
Our feelings about that do not outweigh or veto other sources of evidence or the body of professional expertise about what works. I would not wish on anyone the burden of the decisions that have been made in our name over the last few years. Glad to see Ashley Bloomfield getting out in one piece.
The population-level benefits of this public health initiative outweigh those individual harms, unfortunately. I do not know of any way to reverse that without causing more harm to more people.
How about telling potential Pfizer product recipients that there are risks associated with the product, and for some people the risks from the product might outweigh the risk to them personally from being infected with the virus?
If they are in the 'high risk of serious illness, hospitalisation and death' category due to age, or co- morbidities then there might well be a sound argument for taking the Pfizer product.
There is no justification, in public health terms, for mandating a product that fails to prevent infection or transmission of the target pathogen.
And there is something extremely weird in telling someone (who is at very little risk of serious illness from Covid) that they have to have a second or third shot when they have recovered from the serious adverse effects from the last one in order to keep their job.
A bit like sending a seriously injured soldier back to the front when the stump has healed over.
The population-level benefits of this public health initiative outweigh those individual harms, unfortunately. I do not know of any way to reverse that without causing more harm to more people.
This is very much like a world war. Collective action, individual sacrifice. Been the same for centuries. We are not special. People get hurt so that others may be free from it.
This is pretty much how I see it too. The thing that would make a difference is if as a society stepped up and helped the people harmed. Even knowing what Labour and the MoH are like, I'm still disappointed we didn't do better on this. Collective action cuts both ways if we want to retain it as an ethic.
I think Rosemary both exaggerates and doesn't have the skill or the willingness to parse severe adverse reaction from panic attack from coincidence.
Really? Panic attack? Hmmm…shall we have a discussion about how it was initially denied that myocarditis and pericarditis were an issue?
Do I need to remind you, yet again, that although there was an alert put out by the MOH in July 2021, officials felt it necessary to issue another, more strongly worded alert to all medial professionals in late December 2021?
And notice that the rate is many times higher per dose for the former.
And can you tell me why there is no mandatory reporting of adverse events for a product using a novel technology? ( If I am wrong about this I am happy to be corrected.)
Btw. None of the four people I know who had heart issues post Pfizer shot are the panicking type. Not at all. All of them willingly took the shot. None of them would take another. Ever.
Really? Panic attack? Hmmm…shall we have a discussion about how it was initially denied that myocarditis and pericarditis were an issue?
What's the relationship between the two things? When I raise panic attacks and the inability of some to understand the importance of assessing effect and understanding correlation =/= causation, why do you pivot to the shortcomings of the mainstream medical health system? Is that a deflection?
Do I need to remind you, yet again, that although there was an alert put out by the MOH in July 2021, officials felt it necessary to issue another, more strongly worded alert to all medial professionals in late December 2021?
Ok, so maybe you missed the point massively. Some people got carditis from the vaccine. Some people died from that. Some people had panic attacks or other health issues and blamed the vaccine when there was no direct causation. Can you honestly not see the difference?
And notice that the rate is many times higher per dose for the former.
I have no idea what point you are trying to make here, and if you won't spell it out I'm not going searching on links to try and parse it.
And can you tell me why there is no mandatory reporting of adverse events for a product using a novel technology? ( If I am wrong about this I am happy to be corrected.)
Dunno, maybe because GPs and nurses have no easy way of assessing what is an adverse reaction in an individual and what isn't?
Btw. None of the four people I know who had heart issues post Pfizer shot are the panicking type. Not at all. All of them willingly took the shot. None of them would take another. Ever.
What heart issues? I've said it before. If this is a huge problem, then set up websites, lay out case studies, make the case. If you want to be taken seriously, that's the mahi you have to do.
I'm not even saying you are wrong. I'm saying that each step of the way you've presented confused and relatively useless anectdotes. I say this as someone with a solid respect for anecdata, but to be useful and credible it has to presented in ways that have rationales and meaning beyond belief.
You've also repeatedly signalled that you don't understand fundamentals of evidence.
New Zealand authorities on Monday said they had linked a 26-year-old man's death to Pfizer Inc's (PFE.N) COVID-19 vaccine after the person suffered myocarditis, a rare inflammation of the heart muscle, after taking his first dose.
More than 58,000 people – or 40% of those surveyed – reported experiencing at least one adverse event/reaction to the Pfizer vaccine. Sixty per cent did not experience an adverse event.
a clip with Gower – Pro Vax Kiwis struggle for support after adverse reactions to the vaccine
I know that the Dunedin man died. Lots of people have died in the pandemic. This is the shit hand we have been dealt. As Sacha points out, it's a risk assessment of the best way to limit deaths.
A serious adverse reaction is defined as any reaction that results in death or is life-threatening, causes or prolongs hospitalisation, results in persistent or significant disability/incapacity, is a congenital abnormality or is a medically important event.
People with autoimmune disorders were advised to discuss Covid vaccination with their specialist first, as their medication could also interfere with the intended immune response to the vaccine (i.e. lower effectivity).
The booster put me on my back for a couple of days despite me not being especially delicate or congenital. Would I regard that as serious – of course not. There's a spectrum of unpleasant temporary side effects you might get from a vaccination but they're on a spectrum of relative norms one might expect with any vaccination when your body starts producing antibodies.
that's the medical view. A lesser adverse reaction to an already disabled person can be serious and not noticed by the system. I thought that was clear from my previous comment.
People with autoimmune disorders were advised to discuss Covid vaccination with their specialist first, as their medication could also interfere with the intended immune response to the vaccine (i.e. lower effectivity).
And? No-one knew what was going to happen to whole swathes of people with chronic illnesses. Still don't largely, because the research hasn't been done.
Around this time last year my mid 20s rugby head pig hunting chippie nephew came over all-a-flutter with post-vaccination tachycardia. His father had him to the ED within the hour. He was admitted and had an echocardiogram the following morning. He was given rhythm control medication, booked to see a specialist, put off work and discharged with an order to do absolutely nothing.
He was diagnosed with a vaccine injury but was back at work within the month. He was medicated for a while and they kept a weather eye on him and by Christmas he'd come right. Recently he got the okay to resume footie training and chasing things around in the scrub.
It could have been very different had his father not had the wit to get him to the ED.
Good that it was recognised and checked out. Acute arrhythmias after Covid appear to be rather harmless, but one can never be sure with that vital muscle. Based on your information, he’d be one of 106 reported in NZ in that age group of males (with twice as many females of the same age).
Harmless perhaps but still bloody distressing for a young man who's never had to sit still in his life. But as soon as he started feeling better, wow. A pain in the arse is understating it.
Why should we give a shit about their feelings, good bad or indifferent? I don't get this assumption I should lose sleep over risking hurting the feelings of people who had the collective common sense of a startled Llama and delusions worthy of disciples of Atë.
Oh, I don't know…it would be the human thing to do? It'd be kind? It would be recognition of the fact that not all Kiwis share your views and your experiences?
My understanding of what the psychologist from the link above was saying is if we don't acknowledge peoples feelings, then that feeling (of anger) stays with them, and they are less likely to be open to logic and new information (I am not referring to you here Rosemary I am talking generally).
If we have angry citizens who feel their feelings have not been heard the likes of Brian Tamaki and Leo Molloy will likely swoop them up. This is what I think happened or is part of what happened with Trump and Brexit.
If the Govt brings in a piece of legislation that has a major impact on peoples circumstances, I think they have a duty to listen to them.
My understanding of what the psychologist from the link above was saying is if we don't acknowledge peoples feelings, then that feeling (of anger) stays with them, and they are less likely to be open to logic and new information
If a rowdy mob comes into "town" causing trouble, disruption over many weeks (on tax and rate-payers costs), they have to understand people of that town (and wider region / country) are really angry, too… and people are still waiting for acknowledgement by and apology from the protesters for "shitting in their backyard".
And where does the government drawing a line on this one:
If the Govt brings in a piece of legislation that has a major impact on peoples circumstances, I think they have a duty to listen to them.
Do they have to listen to each and every one of them? Do they have to listen to 51%, 66%, 90% or even 99.9% of the people? Was there ever a legislation with nearly 100% support?
Robert Guyton to answer your question about White Supremists and acknoleging their feelings the answer for me is I don't know. I would take advice from the clever forensic psychologist people on that one. I have never come across a white supremicist in my life. I think when I have come across prejudice, the best approach is to ask questions in a way that makes people have to reflect on their views and account for them. If you shut them done, then they are left with their prejudice, which goes unchallenged.
It is interested that on the left there is a "don't give a shit about their feelings" at one end of the spectrum and at the other, "they hurt my feelings lets cancel them"
The chap from the "occupation" who posted that "when this is over and we win I am going to eat Neve" – deserves nothing but contempt. Likewise the crowd of losers who live up the road from me and have had misogynistic and anti-vax conspiracy nonsense painted on their van for months. They live in what could be called "transitional" housing -a bunch of portacabins plonked in an old car yard with a shared kitchen and bathroom. The Police are there regularly. They were at the occupation – which was probably the most exciting thing that they have done since their last drug deal.
A better than average piece from Stuffed, and rather than doing the reading for you ….I'll copy and paste the gist and leave it to the veteran cop to speak for himself.
Well worth reading the entire piece as this cop has had the experience and done the hard yards when it comes to engaging with communities.
Nine nights at the anti-vaccine mandate protest in Wellington prompted a veteran Taranaki police officer to seek a new start.
For much of the 32 years, two months and two days former senior constable Jono Erwood, of Stratford, spent in the police he loved it.
“New Zealanders are better than what I saw there and experienced,” he said.
“Over those nights I had some good chats with some guys about why they were there, understanding and showing some empathy, treating them with respect.
“There were some people with genuine reasons for being there, some good people, but there were others who just wanted to have a crack at the police.”
Erwood said he felt the prime minister’s refusal to meet with the protestors occupying Parliament grounds had made things worse.
“I think Jacinda could have dealt with the situation better. If I have a problem with someone, I’ll go to see them and have a cup of tea. She never gave them an opportunity, never went to just listen – but then, hindsight is a wonderful thing,” he said.
"She never gave them an opportunity, never went to just listen"
Rosemary, there was a rich vein of filth, if not a river, in that particular protest. Some of them were making death threats, some were making death lists. To paint it as a crowd of the misunderstood is dishonest.
Q-anon, white supremacists, Trump flags (just why?) & Tamaki's twisted theocracy thrown in with some anti-vax, anti-science, tin foil hats…
Sure in hindsight some things could have been done better but this was a mob of disparate ideologies thrown together by opportunistic assholes. Talking to that crowd would be like trying to talk Trump supporters off their ledge. Provide facts for one thing they scream another idiotic bumper sticker dreamed up by Alex Jones (or add wingnut media here) at you. Just endless chaos.
Aligning with them was the mistake genuine protestors made.
Personally I would find it difficult to imagine any circumstance where I could have had a constructive meeting with a bunch of unhinged lunatics who had spent weeks brandishing a noose whilst muttering my name when they were not howling various cray cray conspiracy theories not rooted in any sort of objective reality.
I am struggling to understand how it is all fine and dandy for the so- called Left to behead life sized photographs of sitting MPs who are on a mission to sell off state assets, but it is completely unacceptable for the injured and frightened to visually remind an unsympathetic government and their pet media that in the not too distant past those who forced experimental medical treatments onto people were resoundingly punished.
You were there? In Wellington? Or some very close to you who you can trust to give an accurate assessment of the type of people who were there?
Did you perhaps watch/listen/read anything about the protest that didn't originate from MSM?
Or are you simply parroting what the government and their paid stenographers broadcast?
And what would the cop in the article know…eh? The one who was there…on the ground…speaking with the protestors…the good, the bad and the downright ugly?
The vast majority of those assembled in Wellington were peaceful, and wanted an end to the unjustified vaccine mandates and recognition that for some, too many, the Pfizer product is anything but safe.
A very successful campaign by the government and their paid up media ensured that these voices were silenced, and the rantings of the small minority of nutbars was amplified.
Well this is NZ, so I had two nieces who had daily views of the Wellington “protest” from their daily grind as worthy and conscientious civil servants zombie enablers of the dark combinations of the illuminati.
One thought it an unsanitary and pointless outdoor commentary on two decades of under investment in mental health and the other was abused on three occasions walking to walk so was an early and enthusiastic advocate for the use of extreme police violence to clear them out.
I know half a dozen of the protestors who were there, and others who blindly support them. They lost touch with reality some time ago. They speak in a hodge podge of half facts they glean from ridiculous right-wing 'media', religion and outright conspiracy.
One, who's known me so long he absolutely knows better, accused me of being a government shill.
Plot – lost.
All the folks with genuine concerns found themselves shiny new friends online. Not happy with the official narrative, they let themselves be led by the nose into forming a mob. An abusive mob.
The vast majority of those assembled in Wellington were peaceful
To save us all the tedium of going round and round the same old argument, can yoi please present the evidence you to support that statement?
The argument here isn't that there weren't good people at the protest. It's that there were people there causing a lot of different problems alongside the good ones, and the good ones didn't address that and still don't/won't.
Your comments consistently come across as denial that problematic people exist/ed.
Did you perhaps watch/listen/read anything about the protest that didn't originate from MSM?
Yes, I did. I followed people on twitter who were on the ground.
I'll also point out that the MSM isn't a hive mind, and reading MSM increases one's understanding of the situation where one has a critical mind and an ability to parse bias.
Did you read much MSM coverage that took a more evenhanded approach?
How come you seem largely unaware of the problems within the protest?
How come you seem largely unaware of the problems within the protest?
I am responding to just this question…to nutshell the issue. I have seeds to sow and seedlings to prick out and plants to water and sheep to tend.
How about you show me where exactly I have stated that all the Freedom Village protestors were peaceful and non violent? You won't be able to, because I have never said that.
I have said that the overwhelming majority were. Peaceful. This is a fact that even the police and security services acknowledged.
Intelligence assessments into the anti-vax movement say there is a "realistic possibility" a violent protest or terrorist act could be carried out by extremist elements linked to the "overwhelmingly peaceful" opposition to the Covid-19 vaccine.
Four separate assessments into the anti-vax movements show a shift in concern from February last year through to November.
And the reports, released through the Official Information Act, show an escalation in warnings from June onwards with the prediction Covid-19 "mitigation" efforts – vaccine mandates and passports – would be "likely to have an impact on the New Zealand terrorism threat environment over the near-to medium-term".
While the intelligence reports repeatedly emphasise the broadly peaceful nature of the anti-vax movements, they highlight the vaccine mandates and passport as particular policies that might drive an individual to violence and the presence of extremist elements.
The contrast between June and November is striking as the earlier CTAG assessments predicted any acts of violence as likely to be "an isolated instance of violent protest rather than an act of terrorism".
By November, CTAG found the risk exacerbated by increasingly violent online rhetoric and people among anti-vax groups with personal grievances and extremist beliefs.
The assessments accurately forecasted growing social division and protest if New Zealand went down the path of mandates and vaccine passports.
The reports – or at least the content – would have been made available to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and at least some Cabinet ministers ahead of making the decision to pursue the mandates and vaccine passports. It shows the decision to forge ahead with a public health approach wasn't made without knowledge it could spark strong opposition.
The Prime Minister's office did not respond to a request for comment.
I have posted this particular article here on TS a couple of times. (As evidence that I do read mainstream media) This is not indicative of me being in denial that there were undesirable elements and influences at the periphery of the Freedom Village.
The government were warned that imposing mandates would create an environment ripe for growing protest and civil unrest. And violence.
But the government went ahead and imposed the mandates anyway, with no acknowledgement of those who had already rolled their sleeves up and been injured in the process. There were threats that jobs would be lost, and participation in normal society would be denied.
And Jacinda the Kind gloated…she poured petrol on smouldering embers, and gloated. Only fools would not expect a backlash after this standout performance.
Rosemary – regarding an audience with the PM – surely it was the responsibility of the non-violent, non-threat-making, non-aligned-with-dangerous-elements folk who wished to meet with the MPs and PM, to differentiate themselves, distance themselves from those elements that should not be granted such a meeting?
Did the "good guys" do that, making it clear to the politicians that the meeting would not endanger them? If that didn't happen (I believe it didn't happen) then the failure to broker such a meeting sits with the "good" protesters, not the parliamentarians, imo. I'd like to hear your view on this.
Of course some groups tried to get the attention of the House…with the view to speak on behalf of the vaccine injured and those medial professionals with real concerns about the mRNA shots and the measurable negative effects of lockdowns and mask wearing for all. All MPs were instructed not to engage with the river of filth.
Did the 'good protestors' disassociate themselves from the 'bad' ones? What do you think… yourself being a veteran of many protests? Where all and sundry are free to attend?
There was a sign on the gate exhorting all to come in peace and love.
I mean: when the protest leaders were pressing the Government for a meeting, did those protest leaders/organizers, in a gesture of good faith and wise strategy, describe the threatening element of the protest and distance themselves from them and their threatening behaviour, in order that the Government might feel safe in entering into face to face meetings?
There's no evidence currently that the vaccine has caused the widespread harm that you state. There's a long list of possible side effects which have been well documented but the vaccine is as safe/safer than most of the currently available common vaccines for other illness.
I know it's only anecdotal, but in my day to day work, I see the usual mix of illness and injury from all causes. I have seen significant numbers of very sick patients with COVID (who have needed antiviral medication, admission to hospital, sometimes ICU care), as well as flu and RSV. I have also seen a few very strange illnesses brought on by COVID that I've ever seen with flu or any of the other respiratory viruses so I think there's still a lot we will find out in the future about COVID infection that we don't know.
I've seen large numbers of patients with with COVID vaccine side effects but zero serious illness arising from it; I've seen none of the deaths that the COVID vaccine-sceptics allege are in huge numbers throughout the country.
Should this change, and COVID vaccine is found to be as harmful as you think it is, I (and all the other frontline workers) will be the first to change our views. I hope that vaccine sceptics like you will be able to listen to those who are in the best place to know.
….but the vaccine is as safe/safer than most of the currently available common vaccines for other illness.
Interesting you state this as fact.
You have checked out the CARM reports for both the Pfizer product and the flu shots? And seen that the per- dose adverse effect reporting rate is many times higher for the Pfizer shot?
Anedotally…the people I know who have had serious adverse effects from the Pfizer product, and who will never risk another shot, have all had many other 'available common vaccines.'
With nothing other than a sore arm in the way of adverse effects.
As a 'frontline worker, can you tell me who is collecting data specifically from those of us who have not partaken of the Pfizer product and have had Covid 19 and have clearly failed to succumb? Is anyone out there in medical land at all interested in our Covid 19 experiences?
Since there is no longer an actual control group for the Pfizer product (since the original trials were unblinded and the placebo group offered the shot) there is, to my knowledge, no official comparison being made between the two groups.
Being safer does not mean people will have issues with it. And we should be able to discuss this without poopoo'ing peole who have a different opinion on what safe means to them.
Fwiw, i know a whole heep your young women who are enjoying longer periods, heavier bleeding, blood clots the size of two dollar coins etc etc etc since their three jabs. But i guess those that don't menstruate might not consider this a harmful side effect.
at least three people are 'considered' to have died about it, considered as they died pretty much after their shot. [my italics]
That sounds like they died on the spot, which is false/misleading, as myocarditis takes time to develop to a fatal stage (although it can be remarkably fast). Your link mentions death a week after vaccination.
The Centre for Adverse Reactions Monitoring (CARM) has received a number of reports of menstrual disorders or unexpected vaginal bleeding following vaccination with Comirnaty. Medsafe conducted a full review of the cases, as well as the international published literature, and post-marketing safety reports provided by the Sponsor (Pfizer). No evidence was found to suggest a link between vaccination with Comirnaty and menstrual disorders.
Up to and including 30 June 2022, a total of 171 deaths were reported to CARM after the administration of the Comirnaty vaccine. Following medical assessments by CARM and Medsafe it has been determined that:
137 of these deaths are unlikely related to the COVID-19 vaccine
23 deaths could not be assessed due to insufficient information
8 cases are still under investigation.
1 death was determined by the Coroner to be due to myocarditis following first dose Covid-19 (Pfizer) vaccination.
2 deaths were likely due to vaccine induced myocarditis (awaiting Coroner’s determination).
It's a bit like saying the Jews should have personally spoken to Hitler and politely told him he was wrong and to leave them alone. (Not quite sure that's the right image I'm trying to convey!) Perhaps more like the Jan. 6 protestors wanting to speak to the President – no, that’s not quite what I have in mind either! lol
The only thing Jacinda could have told them was – Go home!
She did tell them to “Go home!” Time and time again. A few of the more sane among them took her advice. With a wooden gallows with her name on it in front of Parliament for all to see, there's no way her security detail would have let her go near them. And rightfully so!
Yes. And I'm sure that the powers-that-be told the anti-Springbok Tour protesters to "Go Home!" multiple times as well.
With, I'm sure, equal success.
Regardless of the rhetoric of some of the protesters – it's is undeniable that there were plenty of people who'd never been on a political protest in their lives before. Who packed up their kids, pets and lives, and went down to Wellington to express their profound disapproval of the actions of the Government.
Whether they were 'right' or 'wrong' really doesn't matter. What matters is that they were (and many still are) profoundly convinced that they had a grievance over the way they had been treated by the Government.
Telling them to "Go Home!" is utterly dismissive of them and their concerns. And simply fosters the divisions in NZ society.
Talking to people (even people you dislike and/or think are misguided, pig-headed and just plain wrong) is part of what politicians have to do.
Yes. And I'm sure that the powers-that-be told the anti-Springbok Tour protesters to "Go Home!" multiple times as well.
False equivalence if ever there was one.
Telling them to "Go Home!" is utterly dismissive of them and their concerns. And simply fosters the divisions in NZ society.
Jacinda Ardern did not tell them to "Go home – exclamation mark." That is a false innuendo. She was asked by reporters and journalists to the effect "Have you a message for theprotesters?" On the basis it was an illegal protest, she advised them to "go home." She said it in a calm, measured and respectful tone of voice.
I suggest misrepresenting the prime minister's response to a question is fostering divisions in society.
When you stop trying to bully some commenters and introducing false narratives – presumably because you think it is clever – then I will stop calling you out.
Telling them to “Go Home!” is utterly dismissive of them and their concerns. And simply fosters the divisions in NZ society.
We are talking about a movement deliberately fostering social division and unrest, drawing on overseas tactics and finance. The parliamentary occupation was hardly a one-off.
Politicians refusing to talk with agitators spouting nonsense and threatening violence is not 'fostering division'. There is no security service in the world who would allow a national leader to sit down with those particular people, no matter how many oblivious hippies were alongside them singing and crapping on the lawn.
Do you seriously expect any rational conversation would emerge? Or is it just about helping Tamaki and the nazi hangers-on feel better that they have been heard? We have seen how appeasing fascists turns out. No thanks.
Ardern's tactic over 5 years is: never allow anyone else control the media message. Especially not dirty people.
She's a lot worse than Clark or Key for that: exceedingly brittle.
Ardern is now really struggling to generate any kind of persona different from a set-piece wonder in front of a mike stand – which she did for over a year. Then did more set-piece mike stand wonder for three months this year on the international circuit.
She won't speak to oiks if she doesn't have comms control – and never will.
Don't forget the number of Police deaths following the Jan 6 invasion of the Capitol. Nobody with half a brain is going to put the blame for those on the other defenders of American democratic processes.
You need to remember V you aren't engaging with logic or rational argument. It's a waste of time trying to explain the facts or use logic when those you are responding to aren't.
Went into Farro in Grey Lynn (2nd time ever) on Saturday. Nice place to shop, the way food shopping should be and might have been if we had stopped supermarkets in their tracks 50 years ago. Quality stuff but scarily expensive. Nobody unmasked. Zero. The rich didn't get rich by being irrational.
Yep, I shop at Farro …. with care. It's great for some things (excellent quality meat and cheeses) – but I do the bulk of the grocery shop at Pak n Save.
Just too expensive, otherwise….
Was there on Sunday – at the Constellation Drive store – majority masked – but not all.
A couple of the specialist food shops that I go to occasionally (when the weekend uber-service-for-the-teen takes me in that direction), require masking to enter. I guess that they are sufficiently secure in their customer base, that they can afford to do so.
They do offer a call in and pay online service, with pick up on a table outside – if you are unable to mask for any reason.
Hearing anecdotally from friends in retail, that abuse from the public over requests for mask-wearing is continuing and accelerating – both in highly wealthy areas – Parnell/Remers, etc., and in more middle-class ones (if anything in Auckland can be called middle class, these days!). They're just not willing to have their staff cop the abuse – and nor should they have to.
Observationally – mask-wearing is continuing to drop in general.
I see NRT has made the elementary mistake in the 'plugging to loophole' item available on the feeds of thinking the donations court case on currently is prosecuting either National or Labour. It isn't. It is a prosecution against people who made or facilitated donations.
The loophole (hopefully) being plugged has nothing to do the case/s currently in court.
It's entirely due to the horse-and-cart-sized gap in the legislation that the NZF case revealed.
[I still believe that the judge was wrong in his interpretation of the law – but belt-and-braces – better to legislatively and finally close any apparant loophole]
All parties (or at least all of the ones currently in parliament) are in agreement that this needs to be stopped very firmly indeed. They're only in disagreement about the legal mechanism for doing so (Labour/Greens want to use their current bill; National/Act don't agree with the matters already covered in that bill, and want a separate piece of legislation they can support 100%).
The current case is primarily prosecuting the donors, but also insiders within the parties who facilitated the deception.
Zhang was aided by people on the inside. For the National Party, that was Ross; for the Labour Party, it was one of the men with name suppression and the woman.
NRT incorrectly stated Labour Party officials are currently being prosecuted. They aren't. The link to a press item to the current case is a description of party officials giving evidence as witnesses (not being prosecuted).
Given that the Labour party ‘insiders’ all (apparently) have name suppression – you must have some inside knowledge to state so categorically that they are not Labour Party officials.
Categorically saying that the case isn't prosecuting either National or Labour – is a bit disingenuous.
Because there are very clearly people who 'used to be' party members (I'm sure they've very quickly been given the boot) from both National (JL Ross) and Labour (people with name suppression) who are facing charges alongside the donors.
There is no way that the donors invented this scenario themselves – there were bagmen within the parties who were handling and facilitating this evasion of Electoral law donation reporting requirements.
It may be sloppy language/usage from NRT – but your statement doesn't pass the sniff test, either.
No one is suggesting the Labour Party is perfect. This case is a case against individuals, not political parties. The fact that party officials are testifying as witness supports this. If you have evidence that the two parties (including their officials) are on trial then why don't you provide it, rather than speculating, as NRT did. Finally, if those with name suppression turn out to be party members (I don't know whether that is the case) that does not mean that the political parties were guilty of anything. Asserting they are is simply a further example of misinformation, which is sadly all too common these days.
The mis and disinformation surge has attracted a fair amount of serious treatment here in NZ, in part no doubt due to events like the Christchurch shooting.
The Royal Society has had a couple of decent speakers on the matter.
I encourage people to familiarize themselves with the Disinformation Project, who have put out some study on the occupation of Parliament grounds, and continue to monitor what seem to be a group of bad and/or foreign actors.
Looks like wedge politics to me. A tactic for splitting the left that's as old as the hills. When you go to TBD and hear people who consider themselves to be the 'real' left sounding like right wing libertarians, you know something is afoot.
Easily – once wages and conditions catch up with employer rhetoric.
To date desperate shortages of workers have not caused a lot of pay bumps – it's more common to get one by changing employers than to be offered one in situ.
Not sure what you mean by pay bumps. Friends in hospo are advertising and willing to pay more than $25/hr for kitchen hands, and dishwashers (no experience, just a work ethic – i.e. turn up for their shift)
It's a heck of a lot better than minimum wage or jobseeker benefit.
Do as Tamati Coffey and his partner did, just sell the lease. Let someone else do that. Btw, that lease got sold to some Non Kiwis who are going to put a US Franchise – some rip of Mexican pre-cooked, deep frozen food. You don't really need any staff for that.
I know nothing about Coffey – but know how much strain and pressure that friends in hospo in Auckland have been under in the last couple of years.
Can absolutely understand that it becomes too much, and people want out.
And, yes, lots of hospo businesses fail – and there's an argument that we're exploiting low-wage workers when we dine out (at restaurants keeping prices low).
But what's the alternative — that we only have mega chains (which, BTW have salaries at the rock bottom) and high-priced tourist-dollar fine dining (which I certainly can't afford to go to regularly)?
He and his partner had two Hospo businesses in Vegas on Eat Street. Did ok until they kicked out a lady for not wearing a mask and in the end the town stopped going there. So they sold their lease. It was bigly in the Herald. The reason i say they sold their lease is because if you sell your business usually the name / theme stays. The indian fellow how bought Tamati and his partner out of the 'Our house' and 'Ponsonby' bars will gut the places and put in a US American Franchise that serves gentrified mexican food.
Fwiw, Tamati killed his business by kicking out a Maori lady and it did not go well with the locals.
Yes, when the re-alignment is finished that is what you will have, fast food for the masses and very high priced fatty beef for the rich.
It’s not just about money, although until the minimum wage rises hospo workers were certainly underpaid. It is much more about the bullying, and generally abusive behaviour which is widespread practise by owners and managers and which has been acknowledged publicly by senior players in the restaurant business. This is what really affects the quality of life for people on the bottom rung in hospo. Many of them are permanently sad if not clinically depressed about having to go and spend another shift being treated like shit. I watched my daughters experience in this ‘industry’ for over a decade; heard her work stories and tried to comfort her as the tears fell. I tried to talk her into resigning (after counselling her on how to manage the toxic behaviours failed) , but she was too proud to go on the dole so continued jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire for years as she tried to find a good employer and a workplace with a non-toxic culture. I suppose such places must exist but locating them is a little like trying to translate lead into gold. I have a very jaundiced view of the personality types who decide to invest in an industry which is known to operate on such a perverse business model.
What's on offer ATM is a heck of a lot more than minimum wage.
I agree that some hospo businesses have been dire for bullying and staff welfare (some are good – others often absolutely appalling).
The good news about the worker shortage is that workers can get some of the issues addressed – or just pick up their pay cheque and shift to a better workplace. Or out of the industry into something else (all of those customer-service skills are highly transferrable).
Most of the people I know in hospo are working in small restaurants/cafes/bakeries (just one in a high-profile restaurant) – these are the local businesses that I support, and want to keep running. They improve the quality of my life and my community.
New Zealand has a shortage in synthetic estrogen. Woot Woot!
I am on hormone replacement therapy thanks to a hysterectomy blablabla……
Today i take my refill to the pharmacy and was advised to call well before my patches run out to get a refill as they can not guarantee that they can fill that prescription.
It’s not a surprise that military recruitment has regional variance. Here’s another example of it, but with a different framing:
Looking at each state’s share of recruits by the number of 18-to-24-year-olds in the state determines how well or how poorly a state is doing compared to its recruitable population. By that measure, the top five states in 2016 were: Hawaii, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia and Florida. The five places with the smallest share of recruits were: Washington D.C., North Dakota, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York.
Except that you're comparing apples and oranges. The US has a voluntary professional military. Russia has compulsory service for all able-bodied males between the ages of 18 and 28.
In that they are both types of fruit, yes, but okay. What is similar between the two methods of recruiting is independent access to higher education mostly precludes military service; in Russia if you are a student you aren't subject to conscription and there are numerous other legal ways to avoid it.
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We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nick Chartres, Senior Research Fellow, Faculty of Medicine & Health, University of Sydney shutterstockAhmet Misirligul/Shutterstock You go to the gym, eat healthy and walk as much as possible. You wash your hands and get vaccinated. You control your health. This is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jacqueline Hendriks, Research Fellow and Lecturer, Curtin University Children and young people may be seeing news headlines about men murdering women or footage of people rallying to call for action. Perhaps they or their friends have even gone to the protests. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Balanzategui, Senior Lecturer in Media, RMIT University ABC “Bluey mania” shows no sign of abating. Bluey’s season finale, The Sign, was the most viewed ABC program of all time on iView. A “hidden” follow-up episode, aptly named The Surprise, created ...
Labour market figures came in softer than the Reserve Bank had forecast, but they won’t be enough to move the needle on interest rates, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Unemployment ...
The campaign will engage the community and encourage submissions on the bill to the New Zealand government by the closing submission deadline of Friday 31st of May 2024 4pm. ...
The paper raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand's political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency plays in that. ...
The Urban Habitat Collective was an attempt to built an innovative new form of apartment building in Wellington. Here’s why it failed, and why the idea could still work, writes co-founder Bronwen Newton. When we started the Urban Habitat Collective in November 2018, we thought we were starting a revolution, ...
Two decades ago this week, a controversial law that attempted to define ownership of the foreshore and seabed prompted a formidable display of outrage and kōtahitanga as 15,000 marched to parliament. Jamie Tahana looks back.‘Hīkoi, hīkoi,” they chanted by the thousands as the biggest Māori march in a generation ...
A Labour Party Member’s Bill aims to plug a culpability gap between manslaughter and health and safety breaches The post New push for corporate killing laws appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Terence O’Brien had the rare and no doubt undesired distinction of rising to one of the most exalted positions in New Zealand diplomacy, then being unceremoniously recalled to Wellington without explanation just when his career was at its zenith. What is perhaps more surprising is that he appears to have ...
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Why has New Zealand slipped from third to 12th on Quality of Death Indexes over the past decade or so? Hospice New Zealand Chief Executive Wayne Naylor has a list of reasons. “We don’t have a current national strategy – the Government hasn’t renewed our 2001 strategy, so we don’t ...
While women’s sport is exploding in Aotearoa and around the world, you still don’t hear a lot of talk about athletes and their periods, RED-S, breastfeeding and visible panty-lines. SASS (Suze and Sez Sports)Talk isn’t afraid to have that kōrero.LockerRoom founder Suzanne McFadden and Olympian broadcaster Sarah ...
On an unusually hot night in January 2019, a little boy’s lifeless body was found face up in a small town’s sewage oxidation pond. To the police, it was an open and shut case: three-year-old Lachlan Jones had run away from his home in the Southland town of Gore, climbed ...
Rongotai MP Julie Anne Genter has apologised in Parliament after National accused her of intimidating and attacking one of its ministers in the House. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Prime Minister and state and territory leaders met on Wednesday as the national cabinet to discuss a crisis gripping Australia – the horrific number of women murdered this year. The killings have shocked ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Radhika Raghav, Teaching Fellow, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Otago Netflix Indian director Sanjay Leela Bhansali is known for his big-budget Bollywood production, featuring grand sets, star casts, meticulously choreographed dance sequences and lavish costumes, jewellery and furnishings. ...
Sir Robert devoted his life to disability rights after living in institutions in his younger years, says Kaihautū Tika Hauātanga | Disability Rights Commissioner Prudence Walker. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University Violence against women is not a women’s problem to solve, it is a whole of society problem to solve; and men in particular have to take responsibility. Those were the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Allen, Senior Lecturer in Chemical and Renewable Energy Engineering, University of Newcastle Snapshot freddy/ShutterstockPlans to revive an old coal-fired power station using bioenergy are being considered in the Hunter region of New South Wales. Similar plans for the station ...
Responding to the long-awaited release of judges’ special allowances, including free air travel and hotels for spouses, generous sabbaticals, and access to limousines, Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Alex Murphy said: “In what world does your employer ...
Analysis - The United States has unveiled plans to boost the weapons trade with Australia and the UK, on the same day that Winston Peters is expected to sketch NZ's position on AUKUS. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrea Carson, Professor of Political Communication, Department of Politics, Media and Philosophy, La Trobe University Since Australia’s First Nations Voice to Parliament referendum in October 2023, diverse commentaries have sought to explain why it failed. But what does an analysis of media ...
Lawyers representing two iwi as well as the Māori Women’s Welfare League on Wednesday asked the Court of Appeal to overturn last week’s High Court decision on the Waitangi Tribunal’s decision to summons Children’s Minister Karen Chhour. The Tribunal is currently investigating the Government’s decision to repeal section 7AA of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government will introduce legislation to ban deepfake pornography and provide more funding for the eSafety Commission to pilot age-assurance technologies. The contribution of internet sites to gender-based violence was one major issue ...
Average ordinary time hourly earnings, as measured by the Quarterly Employment Survey (QES), increased 5.2 percent in the year to the March 2024 quarter, according to figures released by Stats NZ today. Annual wage cost inflation, as measured by the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dimitrios Salampasis, FinTech Capability Lead | Senior Lecturer, Emerging Technologies and FinTech, Swinburne University of Technology Clem Onojeghuo/Unsplash In the digital era, the job market is increasingly becoming a minefield – demanding and difficult to navigate. According to the Australian Bureau ...
As of the March 2024 quarter, we can now look back on 20 years of data related to youth not in employment, education, or training (NEET), as collected by the Household Labour Force Survey (HLFS), according to figures released by Stats NZ today. "The ...
Thousands of workers attended public events in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch today to celebrate International Workers’ Day (May Day), but union representatives are urging caution and vigilance over the Government’s blatantly "anti-worker" ...
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.3 percent in the March 2024 quarter, compared with 4.0 percent in the previous quarter, according to figures released by Stats NZ today. ...
The PSA is warning the Government that the sensitive information of New Zealanders held by various agencies will fall into the wrong hands if the latest round of proposed cuts goes ahead. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Talitha Best, Professor of Psychology, CQUniversity Australia Victoria Rodriguez/Unsplash How do sugar rushes work? – W.H, age nine, from Canberra What a terrific question W.H! Let’s explore this, starting with some of the basics. What is sugar? ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Karinna Saxby, Research Fellow, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne MART PRODUCTION/Pexels Increasing income support could help keep women and children safe according to new work demonstrating strong links between financial insecurity and domestic violence. ...
ANALYSIS:By Olli Hellmann, University of Waikato When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day today on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also to mark a defining event for national identity. The battle of Gallipoli against ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark A Gregory, Associate Professor, School of Engineering, RMIT University The telecommunications industry faces a major shakeup following the release of the post-incident report on last November’s 12-hour Optus outage. Telecommunications companies will have to share more information with customers during future ...
Welcome to The Spinoff Bookseller Confessional, in which we get to know Aotearoa’s booksellers. This week: Eden Denyer, bookseller at Unity Books Auckland.Weirdest question/request you’ve had on the shop floorA mother came in looking for anything we might have on Alaskan bison as that was her little boy’s ...
NZCTU Economist Craig Renney said new data released by Statistics New Zealand shows the need for Government to act now, with unemployment rising from 3.4% to 4.3%. ...
The outpouring of anger over Maiki Sherman’s hyperbolic presentation of this week’s ‘nightmare’ poll is itself an overreaction, argues Stewart Sowman-Lund. Politicians love nothing more than to pretend they don’t care about polls. This week, deputy prime minister Winston Peters said he didn’t give a “rat’s derriere” about a TVNZ ...
Asia Pacific Report Ngāti Kahungunu in Aotearoa New Zealand’s Hawkes Bay region has become the first indigenous Māori iwi (tribe) to sign a resolution calling for a “ceasefire in Palestine”, reports Te Ao Māori News. Reporter Te Aniwaniwa Paterson talked to Te Otāne Huata, who has been organising peace rallies ...
By Dale Luma in Port Moresby “We want grants and not concessional loans,” is the crisp message from Papua New Guinea businesses directly affected by the Black Wednesday looting four months ago. The businesses, which lost millions after the January 10 rioting and looting, say they need grants as part ...
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Guyon Espiner's interview with the PM this morning was, on the surface, robust. But the extraordinary thing about the interview, and the follow up discussion with the political editor, was how it was framed as a vigorous defense by the journalists of the neoliberal status quo – tax cuts are more efficient, the government itself is the problem for not following the advice of neoliberal civil service, the issue for the journalists seems to be the very concept of an active government.
Lately we've been hearing an increasingly hysterical defense from National and most of the establishment MSM of the Thatcher/Reagan monetarist settlement and demands we return to that status quo with the usual prescription austerity, running down of government services, tax cuts for the rich, wage suppression via unchecked immigration and housing bubbles.
With the rise of dark money propaganda – which of which will be subject of zero curiosity or scrutiny from an establishment MSM happy to re-print press releases from a thicket of false fronts set up by the the likes of Jordan Williams – It is going to be a very dirty election in 2023. A lot of fat cats are relying on the right returning us to the true path of Rogernomics and they are willing to pay what it takes.
Just listened to both the interview (linked above) and the follow up with Jane Patterson (it's the second topic she addresses, after the proposed legislative change to close the NZF electoral donations loophole)
https://www.rnz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=2018851597
I didn't hear any "vigorous defence by the journalists of the neoliberal status quo" It's the job of journalists to ask hard questions – I'm sure many listeners would have been wondering 'why not tax cuts?' – which I thought that Ardern answered very effectively (tax cuts are inflationary long term, the targeted payment is less inflationary, and is short term)
The points made by Patterson in the follow-up were:
I think the payment is a farce, short term populist rubbish , cut taxs on under $30 000 and pay for it with a raise on $70 000 and above ,
Ironically I get the payment because last year I was under the cut off even though this year I'm above the cut off.
And many partners with disabilities don't get it because they had no earnings and get neither a benefit nor ACC.
This is a very much abandoned group – when I started work many employers paid an extra allowance for people who had non-working partners, you could claim a tax rebate if your partner earned under a certain amount and a few other things like life insurance rebates.
Now all the costs fall on the one partner exacerbated by Labours decision to remove underage partners from NZS.
Many of us who care for unwell partners will be working well past 65 simply to get the mortgage paid off and to try and save some money for retirement once that as done. The extra $6,000 to $7,000 in tax I pay over a couple earning the same amount each year over the last 30 years is the difference between paying my mortgage off already and being in Kiwisaver.
I'm still fortunate however that I have been in a position where I have been able to support my partner. This isn't the case for many.
Very few people in politics advocate for this group. Peter Dunne was probably the last. It does grate a little, despite understanding the practical aspects as to why this has occurred, that people overseas are getting this payment while non-working partners get zilch. Many like mine have worked in the past when well – it wouldn't be impossible to set up a system where they could apply for the payment.
metadata
David Parker was on Morning Report today saying that 1% of the cost of living payments would have gone to the wrong people.
Later on Morning Report (or maybe it was at the start of Nine to Noon) I heard that there is a mechanism to repay wrong payments and a mechanism to stop the next two payments simply by gong to the website if somebody is receiving the payment wrongly.
Yet again the media, including RNZ, is going well over the top and misleading the public in order to slam Labour.
Meanwhile on this afternoon's RNZ Panel people came on saying the $350 would be very useful as a short term alleviating measure. And David Slack made the point that this is a measure in addition to raising benefits, Working for Family and raising the minimum wage and increasing the winter fuel allowance, which are far more important measures helping the low paid implemented by this government.
Totally agree with you Sanctuary.
The Espiner interview was an attempt to create a political storm around a minor glitch in the Cost of Living Payment to those on the lowest incomes. The vast majority of payments are going to people living in NZ, but a minority living overseas have been caught up in the system – as was expected. The amount involved will be infinitesimal in the scheme of things. Jacinda Ardern clearly and succinctly explained the problem and it was simply brushed aside by Espiner as if she had never said anything.
A calculated storm in a tea cup designed to be a supposed example of "sloppy policy done on the hoof" as postulated by Jane Patterson, whose cynical and often inaccurate analysis of government action and policies prompted me long ago to rarely listen to them.
The sense I got from both those interviews is that they were pandering to the middle classes who resent even a small payment to those on the lowest incomes at a time of considerable financial stress.
Agree Sanc. It was a maddeningly stupid piece of radio. But anything that is targeted will have problems at the boundary. Either individual injustices over who is included and who is not, or administrative issues of insufficient information to draw the boundary cleanly. It's a primary reason why universality is a good principle in social policy. If you can get support for it. Labour's caution on universality and insistence on targeting causes problems for themselves.
Also, interesting 2016 piece from the Rand corporation on Fascist Russia's "Firehose of Falsehood" propaganda techniques, the effectiveness of which is played out frequently on this site in relation the Ukraine war and whose malign hand can, IMHO, be seen in the online support for Trumpism.
Thought this was an interesting take on whether NZ is becoming a more angry society – referencing organization psychologist John Eatwell.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/the-front-page-guns-rage-and-racism-has-nz-become-an-angry-nation/DGE5QSKOBBWHWUFQV3CWXBFGPM/?c_id=1&objectid=12541740&ref=rss
Some take-aways:
Key quote
And that there's a ripple effect. Being kind ripples outwards – as does being angry and/or unkind. We can all make a difference….
Yes. Caught my eye at 5 am and I was immediately struck by the complete inappropriateness of the attached photo.
Guns! Rage! Racism!
And a photo of a bearded chubby white dude being led away by two cops.
Didn't see where it says he was arrested (and eye gouged by the cops) when he and his mates at the Freedom Village were defending the Precious Portaloos from being removed by the cops.
Didn't see any photos of his mates…arms linked and all jammed together…who were predominantly Maori.
These people were unarmed.
No guns. No racism. And any rage was understandable in the face of the cops trying to make real the "river of filth" narrative.
I'd say to the mainstream government funded media "Do better."
But they're way beyond retrieval.
Alienating and marginalizing is a pretty core social control mechanism.
We tend to be intolerant of liars, and of those that offer violence.
The Freedum crowd offered a range of both – why should they then enjoy immunity to the normal responses their anti-social behaviour invites? If we treat their false (and known to be malicious) grievances with undeserved respect, we will get even more of this dangerous folly.
Police should have moved them off on day one.
One question Stuart Munro.
Do you know of anyone who had such a severe reaction to a Pfizer injection that they would not risk having another?
Someone who thought their heart was going to explode, perhaps?
We tend to be intolerant of liars, and of those that offer violence.
Is there any chance of you seeing this from the point of view of the Pfizer injured? That they were lied to when told it was safe? That they see the mandates as an actual physical threat? Along the lines of…"Take another shot of what put you in the hospital or you'll lose your job."
I know a fellow who suffered a stroke the day he was vaccinated, and, initially many of us thought that the vaccination was a factor. He was not detected early, spent a month in hospital and still has significant loss of function. But it transpires that the vaccination was not a factor.
I'm afraid that the people beating up the antivax rhetoric are simply not to be trusted. They have an agenda to obtain power or notoriety or money, and they do not serve those with anomalous medical outcomes in any way whatsoever. They are quacks and charlatans, and must be treated severely to deter both other prospective charlatans, and to make it crystal clear to naive members of the public that these scum are not competent medical authorities, nor are they worthy of their sympathy.
Now, if you have a group of Pfizer injured persons, I am sure that competent medical practitioners will go to considerable lengths to find them alternative treatment options – but obdurate ignorant antivaxxers should not expect to work in medicine or education.
"…Didn't see where it says he was arrested (and eye gouged by the cops) when he and his mates at the Freedom Village were defending the Precious Portaloos from being removed by the cops….
Oh dear. You be crazy.
You're going to have to do better than that Sanctuary.
Perfect example of continuing to alienate and marginalize…..
Hey, if someone says something crazy, I call them crazy. Call me old fashioned, but there it is.
Sane people can say crazy things, QED.
Rosemary's like a dog with a bone on this issue. That can't be healthy, given the fight-back she gets every time she brings it up here.
From this distance Rosemary appears to pick and choose examples and positions in order to bolster her beliefs. No doubt we all do that and when we do, it's useful (and healthy) to acknowledge that tendency and attend to it as far as we can; self-analysis and positive introspection seems a useful tool in forging a balanced, realistic world-view.
Probably not helping the discussion, but I do like to put my spoke in whenever there's passion in a discussion 🙂
From this distance Rosemary appears to pick and choose examples and positions in order to bolster her beliefs.
You care to give examples of where I have done this? I think I have been very consistent in my position on this issue.
I am healthy, thanks. I don't really care what 'fight-back' I get on this issue here on TS. I expect the usual responses from the usual people…all very ho hum.
I do feel it is important that an alternative viewpoint is entered into these discussions. Else the record will not be reflective of the reality.
A bit disappointing that there is so little sympathy here for those who had severe adverse effects from the Pfizer product.
And I simply can't believe that I am the only person who comments here who has spoken to people who had such a severe reaction to one Pfizer shot that they would not ever risk having another.
Regarding inoculations, immunisations and medical science in general. Medical science, including endless jabs, and medications have kept me alive since the day I was born.(70.25)
So forgive my skepticism about a minute number of millions of vaccines, having side effects, and causing angst.
I'm one of those (I suspect very many) people who hasn't spoken to (or seen first-hand) anyone with a severe reaction to being jabbed with the Pfizer stuff.
But even if I had, that wouldn't have put me off getting my five vaccinations (so far) this year. Boosters 1 (in Jan) and 2 (in July) against Covid, plus the annual jab against influenza, and (a first for me) two (Shingrix) vaccinations against shingles, which my GP reckons will last at least 7 years, so that's good.
I have not met any person with serious adverse reactions caused by the Pfizer vaccine, which is telling with over 11 million shots administered in NZ (and through work I meet and hear of a lot of people). I have many friends and colleagues who did get Covid and were feeling pretty crook from it. I had a few very distant relatives overseas dying from Covid.
All the hype around Covid-19 and the new ‘experimental’ mRNA vaccines certainly increased anxiety levels among many. I was hesitant too, waited a long time before I got my shots, and did my research homework first.
https://theconversation.com/anticipating-a-side-effect-makes-it-more-likely-youll-experience-it-this-could-contribute-to-vaccine-hesitancy-180331
Probably reality falls in between. I think Rosemary both exaggerates and doesn't have the skill or the willingness to parse severe adverse reaction from panic attack from coincidence.
but likewise, there are people who did have reactions, this was being discussed last year in medical circles. Severe to you might mean carditis. For someone with an autoimmune disease it might mean a relapse that few other people notice. Many of those people won't be recorded well in the medical systems. Haven't looked in a while but I doubt much research is being done. And afaik the Pfizer testing excluded people with chronic illnesses.
I have heard of some major reactions, as I would expect with any immunisation programme of this scale.
The population-level benefits of this public health initiative outweigh those individual harms, unfortunately. I do not know of any way to reverse that without causing more harm to more people.
This is very much like a world war. Collective action, individual sacrifice. Been the same for centuries. We are not special. People get hurt so that others may be free from it.
Our feelings about that do not outweigh or veto other sources of evidence or the body of professional expertise about what works. I would not wish on anyone the burden of the decisions that have been made in our name over the last few years. Glad to see Ashley Bloomfield getting out in one piece.
The population-level benefits of this public health initiative outweigh those individual harms, unfortunately. I do not know of any way to reverse that without causing more harm to more people.
How about telling potential Pfizer product recipients that there are risks associated with the product, and for some people the risks from the product might outweigh the risk to them personally from being infected with the virus?
If they are in the 'high risk of serious illness, hospitalisation and death' category due to age, or co- morbidities then there might well be a sound argument for taking the Pfizer product.
(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33716331/)
There is no justification, in public health terms, for mandating a product that fails to prevent infection or transmission of the target pathogen.
And there is something extremely weird in telling someone (who is at very little risk of serious illness from Covid) that they have to have a second or third shot when they have recovered from the serious adverse effects from the last one in order to keep their job.
A bit like sending a seriously injured soldier back to the front when the stump has healed over.
Gosh all those public health experts must be wrong then.
Risks were communicated.
Like I say, wartime not business as usual. Needs of the many, etc.
This is pretty much how I see it too. The thing that would make a difference is if as a society stepped up and helped the people harmed. Even knowing what Labour and the MoH are like, I'm still disappointed we didn't do better on this. Collective action cuts both ways if we want to retain it as an ethic.
I think Rosemary both exaggerates and doesn't have the skill or the willingness to parse severe adverse reaction from panic attack from coincidence.
Really? Panic attack? Hmmm…shall we have a discussion about how it was initially denied that myocarditis and pericarditis were an issue?
Do I need to remind you, yet again, that although there was an alert put out by the MOH in July 2021, officials felt it necessary to issue another, more strongly worded alert to all medial professionals in late December 2021?
https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/safety/Alerts/comirnaty-myocarditis-reminder.html
A lot of fuss and bother for panic attacks.
You could, out of respect to the people who took the trouble to report adverse events, peruse the CARM reports for the past 18 months … https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/COVID-19/vaccine-report-overview.asp
…..and compare the rates of reports for the Pfizer product with the rates of reports for the flu shots. https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/safety/reports-and-promotion/Spontaneous-Reports-Influenza-Vaccination-2020.asp
And notice that the rate is many times higher per dose for the former.
And can you tell me why there is no mandatory reporting of adverse events for a product using a novel technology? ( If I am wrong about this I am happy to be corrected.)
Btw. None of the four people I know who had heart issues post Pfizer shot are the panicking type. Not at all. All of them willingly took the shot. None of them would take another. Ever.
What's the relationship between the two things? When I raise panic attacks and the inability of some to understand the importance of assessing effect and understanding correlation =/= causation, why do you pivot to the shortcomings of the mainstream medical health system? Is that a deflection?
Ok, so maybe you missed the point massively. Some people got carditis from the vaccine. Some people died from that. Some people had panic attacks or other health issues and blamed the vaccine when there was no direct causation. Can you honestly not see the difference?
I have no idea what point you are trying to make here, and if you won't spell it out I'm not going searching on links to try and parse it.
Dunno, maybe because GPs and nurses have no easy way of assessing what is an adverse reaction in an individual and what isn't?
What heart issues? I've said it before. If this is a huge problem, then set up websites, lay out case studies, make the case. If you want to be taken seriously, that's the mahi you have to do.
I'm not even saying you are wrong. I'm saying that each step of the way you've presented confused and relatively useless anectdotes. I say this as someone with a solid respect for anecdata, but to be useful and credible it has to presented in ways that have rationales and meaning beyond belief.
You've also repeatedly signalled that you don't understand fundamentals of evidence.
and please don't come at me as if I'm not fully aware of teh shortcomings of mainstream medicine. I'm so sick of the binary thinking.
yes there were death in NZ due to the Vaccine.
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/new-zealand-links-26-year-old-mans-death-pfizer-covid-19-vaccine-2021-12-20/
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/465103/ministry-of-health-announces-third-death-linked-to-vaccine
my search term: Young man dies of vaccination in NZ
i rememberd that young guy from the South Island.
So yes, people in NZ had adverse reaction to the vaccines and some died.
this might also be interesting to read
https://www.nzdoctor.co.nz/article/educate/practice/shot-bro-adverse-cutaneous-reactions-following-covid-19-vaccination
more on that here
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/300585151/covid19-side-effects-survey-reassuring-vaccines-are-working-as-expected–report
a clip with Gower – Pro Vax Kiwis struggle for support after adverse reactions to the vaccine
So statistically safer than crossing the street.
Good to know.
that young guy from the South Island.
Rory. Rory Nairn.
I know that the Dunedin man died. Lots of people have died in the pandemic. This is the shit hand we have been dealt. As Sacha points out, it's a risk assessment of the best way to limit deaths.
https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/safety/reports-and-promotion/Spontaneous-Reports-Influenza-Vaccination-2021.asp
People with autoimmune disorders were advised to discuss Covid vaccination with their specialist first, as their medication could also interfere with the intended immune response to the vaccine (i.e. lower effectivity).
The booster put me on my back for a couple of days despite me not being especially delicate or congenital. Would I regard that as serious – of course not. There's a spectrum of unpleasant temporary side effects you might get from a vaccination but they're on a spectrum of relative norms one might expect with any vaccination when your body starts producing antibodies.
that's the medical view. A lesser adverse reaction to an already disabled person can be serious and not noticed by the system. I thought that was clear from my previous comment.
And? No-one knew what was going to happen to whole swathes of people with chronic illnesses. Still don't largely, because the research hasn't been done.
Around this time last year my mid 20s rugby head pig hunting chippie nephew came over all-a-flutter with post-vaccination tachycardia. His father had him to the ED within the hour. He was admitted and had an echocardiogram the following morning. He was given rhythm control medication, booked to see a specialist, put off work and discharged with an order to do absolutely nothing.
He was diagnosed with a vaccine injury but was back at work within the month. He was medicated for a while and they kept a weather eye on him and by Christmas he'd come right. Recently he got the okay to resume footie training and chasing things around in the scrub.
It could have been very different had his father not had the wit to get him to the ED.
Good that it was recognised and checked out. Acute arrhythmias after Covid appear to be rather harmless, but one can never be sure with that vital muscle. Based on your information, he’d be one of 106 reported in NZ in that age group of males (with twice as many females of the same age).
Harmless perhaps but still bloody distressing for a young man who's never had to sit still in his life. But as soon as he started feeling better, wow. A pain in the arse is understating it.
True, that.
More bitter and twisted, I think – and deluded into thinking the Natz would be better?
So binary in your thinking.
The whole 'If you're not for us you must be a National voter…' is just so lazy.
"Perfect example of continuing to alienate and margilise". Spot on as usual Belladonna and thanks for the bullet points re this article.
"need to acknowledge the anger rather than just putting it down to misinformation"
Exactly. Went you right off peoples concerns by labelling them as mad or bad and don't acknowledge thier emotions it builds anger. Not an exact quote.
And yes "charismatic" leaders like Leo and Brian are around to tap into that anger.
Why should we give a shit about their feelings, good bad or indifferent? I don't get this assumption I should lose sleep over risking hurting the feelings of people who had the collective common sense of a startled Llama and delusions worthy of disciples of Atë.
Why should we give a shit about their feelings?
Oh, I don't know…it would be the human thing to do? It'd be kind? It would be recognition of the fact that not all Kiwis share your views and your experiences?
You need to feel the Love, brother.
https://odysee.com/@voicesforfreedom:6/freedom-village-parliament:2
That's a bit unfair to Llamas – they are known for their awareness and intelligence.
My apologies to all llamas reading this site, Jordan Williams made me do it.
"why should we give a shit about their feelings"
My understanding of what the psychologist from the link above was saying is if we don't acknowledge peoples feelings, then that feeling (of anger) stays with them, and they are less likely to be open to logic and new information (I am not referring to you here Rosemary I am talking generally).
If we have angry citizens who feel their feelings have not been heard the likes of Brian Tamaki and Leo Molloy will likely swoop them up. This is what I think happened or is part of what happened with Trump and Brexit.
If the Govt brings in a piece of legislation that has a major impact on peoples circumstances, I think they have a duty to listen to them.
I guess this works both ways:
If a rowdy mob comes into "town" causing trouble, disruption over many weeks (on tax and rate-payers costs), they have to understand people of that town (and wider region / country) are really angry, too… and people are still waiting for acknowledgement by and apology from the protesters for "shitting in their backyard".
And where does the government drawing a line on this one:
Do they have to listen to each and every one of them? Do they have to listen to 51%, 66%, 90% or even 99.9% of the people? Was there ever a legislation with nearly 100% support?
Will you acknowledge the emotions of the white supremacy guys?
Are you offended by their being labeled "mad" and "bad"?
In all fairness, you will be, yes?
Robert Guyton to answer your question about White Supremists and acknoleging their feelings the answer for me is I don't know. I would take advice from the clever forensic psychologist people on that one. I have never come across a white supremicist in my life. I think when I have come across prejudice, the best approach is to ask questions in a way that makes people have to reflect on their views and account for them. If you shut them done, then they are left with their prejudice, which goes unchallenged.
It is interested that on the left there is a "don't give a shit about their feelings" at one end of the spectrum and at the other, "they hurt my feelings lets cancel them"
a mid way is surely best?
Thanks, Anker. There were people among the protest crowd that held white supremist views, including violent intentions toward politicians.
Should those politicians have met, in person, with those people?
'You seem angry and deranged. Hang on, put down that club.'
Feelings are not the only thing in the world.
The chap from the "occupation" who posted that "when this is over and we win I am going to eat Neve" – deserves nothing but contempt. Likewise the crowd of losers who live up the road from me and have had misogynistic and anti-vax conspiracy nonsense painted on their van for months. They live in what could be called "transitional" housing -a bunch of portacabins plonked in an old car yard with a shared kitchen and bathroom. The Police are there regularly. They were at the occupation – which was probably the most exciting thing that they have done since their last drug deal.
And on the topic of alienating and marginalising the angry and disenfranchised….
https://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/300647265/veteran-officer-leaves-police-for-new-life-as-a-tractor-salesman
A better than average piece from Stuffed, and rather than doing the reading for you ….I'll copy and paste the gist and leave it to the veteran cop to speak for himself.
Well worth reading the entire piece as this cop has had the experience and done the hard yards when it comes to engaging with communities.
Nine nights at the anti-vaccine mandate protest in Wellington prompted a veteran Taranaki police officer to seek a new start.
For much of the 32 years, two months and two days former senior constable Jono Erwood, of Stratford, spent in the police he loved it.
But he was already thinking about a change in career when he was called on to help at the occupation on Parliament grounds.
Being amongst the hatred and conflict during the 23-day protest in Wellington in February only set that in stone.
“New Zealanders are better than what I saw there and experienced,” he said.
“Over those nights I had some good chats with some guys about why they were there, understanding and showing some empathy, treating them with respect.
“There were some people with genuine reasons for being there, some good people, but there were others who just wanted to have a crack at the police.”
Erwood said he felt the prime minister’s refusal to meet with the protestors occupying Parliament grounds had made things worse.
“I think Jacinda could have dealt with the situation better. If I have a problem with someone, I’ll go to see them and have a cup of tea. She never gave them an opportunity, never went to just listen – but then, hindsight is a wonderful thing,” he said.
During the protest, Ardern said focussing on the pandemic was top of her mind and the extremist language emanating from the protest was why the Government had refused to talk to the protesters.
As the protest went on, every party in Parliament also signed on to a joint-statement saying they will not talk to the convoy protesters until they stop breaking the law.
"She never gave them an opportunity, never went to just listen"
Rosemary, there was a rich vein of filth, if not a river, in that particular protest. Some of them were making death threats, some were making death lists. To paint it as a crowd of the misunderstood is dishonest.
Q-anon, white supremacists, Trump flags (just why?) & Tamaki's twisted theocracy thrown in with some anti-vax, anti-science, tin foil hats…
Sure in hindsight some things could have been done better but this was a mob of disparate ideologies thrown together by opportunistic assholes. Talking to that crowd would be like trying to talk Trump supporters off their ledge. Provide facts for one thing they scream another idiotic bumper sticker dreamed up by Alex Jones (or add wingnut media here) at you. Just endless chaos.
Aligning with them was the mistake genuine protestors made.
Personally I would find it difficult to imagine any circumstance where I could have had a constructive meeting with a bunch of unhinged lunatics who had spent weeks brandishing a noose whilst muttering my name when they were not howling various cray cray conspiracy theories not rooted in any sort of objective reality.
But maybe that is just me. Maybe.
The Left, eh, and their violence.
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2022/02/20/guest-blog-suzie-dawson-remembering-the-left/
I don't know. The noose or the guillotine?
I am struggling to understand how it is all fine and dandy for the so- called Left to behead life sized photographs of sitting MPs who are on a mission to sell off state assets, but it is completely unacceptable for the injured and frightened to visually remind an unsympathetic government and their pet media that in the not too distant past those who forced experimental medical treatments onto people were resoundingly punished.
You were there? In Wellington? Or some very close to you who you can trust to give an accurate assessment of the type of people who were there?
Did you perhaps watch/listen/read anything about the protest that didn't originate from MSM?
Or are you simply parroting what the government and their paid stenographers broadcast?
And what would the cop in the article know…eh? The one who was there…on the ground…speaking with the protestors…the good, the bad and the downright ugly?
The vast majority of those assembled in Wellington were peaceful, and wanted an end to the unjustified vaccine mandates and recognition that for some, too many, the Pfizer product is anything but safe.
A very successful campaign by the government and their paid up media ensured that these voices were silenced, and the rantings of the small minority of nutbars was amplified.
A tactic as old as politics.
Well this is NZ, so I had two nieces who had daily views of the Wellington “protest” from their daily grind as
worthy and conscientious civil servantszombie enablers of the dark combinations of the illuminati.One thought it an unsanitary and pointless outdoor commentary on two decades of under investment in mental health and the other was abused on three occasions walking to walk so was an early and enthusiastic advocate for the use of extreme police violence to clear them out.
I know half a dozen of the protestors who were there, and others who blindly support them. They lost touch with reality some time ago. They speak in a hodge podge of half facts they glean from ridiculous right-wing 'media', religion and outright conspiracy.
One, who's known me so long he absolutely knows better, accused me of being a government shill.
Plot – lost.
All the folks with genuine concerns found themselves shiny new friends online. Not happy with the official narrative, they let themselves be led by the nose into forming a mob. An abusive mob.
Lie with dogs, get fleas, etc.
To save us all the tedium of going round and round the same old argument, can yoi please present the evidence you to support that statement?
The argument here isn't that there weren't good people at the protest. It's that there were people there causing a lot of different problems alongside the good ones, and the good ones didn't address that and still don't/won't.
Your comments consistently come across as denial that problematic people exist/ed.
Yes, I did. I followed people on twitter who were on the ground.
I'll also point out that the MSM isn't a hive mind, and reading MSM increases one's understanding of the situation where one has a critical mind and an ability to parse bias.
Did you read much MSM coverage that took a more evenhanded approach?
How come you seem largely unaware of the problems within the protest?
How come you seem largely unaware of the problems within the protest?
I am responding to just this question…to nutshell the issue. I have seeds to sow and seedlings to prick out and plants to water and sheep to tend.
How about you show me where exactly I have stated that all the Freedom Village protestors were peaceful and non violent? You won't be able to, because I have never said that.
I have said that the overwhelming majority were. Peaceful. This is a fact that even the police and security services acknowledged.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/covid-19-wellington-protest-security-service-reports-detail-realistic-possibility-of-terror-attack-threat-from-peaceful-anti-vax-movement/TD6G32WUBVNAL7D2TRLHLNJT5Q/
Intelligence assessments into the anti-vax movement say there is a "realistic possibility" a violent protest or terrorist act could be carried out by extremist elements linked to the "overwhelmingly peaceful" opposition to the Covid-19 vaccine.
Four separate assessments into the anti-vax movements show a shift in concern from February last year through to November.
And the reports, released through the Official Information Act, show an escalation in warnings from June onwards with the prediction Covid-19 "mitigation" efforts – vaccine mandates and passports – would be "likely to have an impact on the New Zealand terrorism threat environment over the near-to medium-term".
While the intelligence reports repeatedly emphasise the broadly peaceful nature of the anti-vax movements, they highlight the vaccine mandates and passport as particular policies that might drive an individual to violence and the presence of extremist elements.
The contrast between June and November is striking as the earlier CTAG assessments predicted any acts of violence as likely to be "an isolated instance of violent protest rather than an act of terrorism".
By November, CTAG found the risk exacerbated by increasingly violent online rhetoric and people among anti-vax groups with personal grievances and extremist beliefs.
The assessments accurately forecasted growing social division and protest if New Zealand went down the path of mandates and vaccine passports.
The reports – or at least the content – would have been made available to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and at least some Cabinet ministers ahead of making the decision to pursue the mandates and vaccine passports. It shows the decision to forge ahead with a public health approach wasn't made without knowledge it could spark strong opposition.
The Prime Minister's office did not respond to a request for comment.
I have posted this particular article here on TS a couple of times. (As evidence that I do read mainstream media) This is not indicative of me being in denial that there were undesirable elements and influences at the periphery of the Freedom Village.
The government were warned that imposing mandates would create an environment ripe for growing protest and civil unrest. And violence.
But the government went ahead and imposed the mandates anyway, with no acknowledgement of those who had already rolled their sleeves up and been injured in the process. There were threats that jobs would be lost, and participation in normal society would be denied.
And Jacinda the Kind gloated…she poured petrol on smouldering embers, and gloated. Only fools would not expect a backlash after this standout performance.
Rosemary – regarding an audience with the PM – surely it was the responsibility of the non-violent, non-threat-making, non-aligned-with-dangerous-elements folk who wished to meet with the MPs and PM, to differentiate themselves, distance themselves from those elements that should not be granted such a meeting?
Did the "good guys" do that, making it clear to the politicians that the meeting would not endanger them? If that didn't happen (I believe it didn't happen) then the failure to broker such a meeting sits with the "good" protesters, not the parliamentarians, imo. I'd like to hear your view on this.
Of course some groups tried to get the attention of the House…with the view to speak on behalf of the vaccine injured and those medial professionals with real concerns about the mRNA shots and the measurable negative effects of lockdowns and mask wearing for all. All MPs were instructed not to engage with the river of filth.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-omicron-convoy-protest-trevor-mallard-outlines-terms-for-mps-to-engage-with-protesters/AK4RTKQFCN3KOXK7RSLVECMVIE/
I think you know this already.
My question was (and still is) did those groups clearly dissociate themselves from the mad fringe?
If not, being rejected by the politicians is hardly a surprise.
Keen for your answer.
This is tedious Robert.
Did the 'good protestors' disassociate themselves from the 'bad' ones? What do you think… yourself being a veteran of many protests? Where all and sundry are free to attend?
There was a sign on the gate exhorting all to come in peace and love.
What does that imply?
Perhaps I wasn't clear, Rosemary, sorry.
I mean: when the protest leaders were pressing the Government for a meeting, did those protest leaders/organizers, in a gesture of good faith and wise strategy, describe the threatening element of the protest and distance themselves from them and their threatening behaviour, in order that the Government might feel safe in entering into face to face meetings?
Hi, Rosemary
There's no evidence currently that the vaccine has caused the widespread harm that you state. There's a long list of possible side effects which have been well documented but the vaccine is as safe/safer than most of the currently available common vaccines for other illness.
I know it's only anecdotal, but in my day to day work, I see the usual mix of illness and injury from all causes. I have seen significant numbers of very sick patients with COVID (who have needed antiviral medication, admission to hospital, sometimes ICU care), as well as flu and RSV. I have also seen a few very strange illnesses brought on by COVID that I've ever seen with flu or any of the other respiratory viruses so I think there's still a lot we will find out in the future about COVID infection that we don't know.
I've seen large numbers of patients with with COVID vaccine side effects but zero serious illness arising from it; I've seen none of the deaths that the COVID vaccine-sceptics allege are in huge numbers throughout the country.
Should this change, and COVID vaccine is found to be as harmful as you think it is, I (and all the other frontline workers) will be the first to change our views. I hope that vaccine sceptics like you will be able to listen to those who are in the best place to know.
….but the vaccine is as safe/safer than most of the currently available common vaccines for other illness.
Interesting you state this as fact.
You have checked out the CARM reports for both the Pfizer product and the flu shots? And seen that the per- dose adverse effect reporting rate is many times higher for the Pfizer shot?
Anedotally…the people I know who have had serious adverse effects from the Pfizer product, and who will never risk another shot, have all had many other 'available common vaccines.'
With nothing other than a sore arm in the way of adverse effects.
As a 'frontline worker, can you tell me who is collecting data specifically from those of us who have not partaken of the Pfizer product and have had Covid 19 and have clearly failed to succumb? Is anyone out there in medical land at all interested in our Covid 19 experiences?
Since there is no longer an actual control group for the Pfizer product (since the original trials were unblinded and the placebo group offered the shot) there is, to my knowledge, no official comparison being made between the two groups.
Pity…medical science has been poorly served here.
at least three people are 'considered' to have died about it, considered as they died pretty much after their shot.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/465103/ministry-of-health-announces-third-death-linked-to-vaccine
that is easily found via google.
Being safer does not mean people will have issues with it. And we should be able to discuss this without poopoo'ing peole who have a different opinion on what safe means to them.
Fwiw, i know a whole heep your young women who are enjoying longer periods, heavier bleeding, blood clots the size of two dollar coins etc etc etc since their three jabs. But i guess those that don't menstruate might not consider this a harmful side effect.
That sounds like they died on the spot, which is false/misleading, as myocarditis takes time to develop to a fatal stage (although it can be remarkably fast). Your link mentions death a week after vaccination.
https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/safety/Alerts/comirnaty-menstrual-disorders.asp
Monitoring ongoing.
https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/COVID-19/safety-report-44.asp
It's a bit like saying the Jews should have personally spoken to Hitler and politely told him he was wrong and to leave them alone. (Not quite sure that's the right image I'm trying to convey!) Perhaps more like the Jan. 6 protestors wanting to speak to the President – no, that’s not quite what I have in mind either! lol
The only thing Jacinda could have told them was – Go home!
I can image how that would have gone down!
She did tell them to “Go home!” Time and time again. A few of the more sane among them took her advice. With a wooden gallows with her name on it in front of Parliament for all to see, there's no way her security detail would have let her go near them. And rightfully so!
Yes. And I'm sure that the powers-that-be told the anti-Springbok Tour protesters to "Go Home!" multiple times as well.
With, I'm sure, equal success.
Regardless of the rhetoric of some of the protesters – it's is undeniable that there were plenty of people who'd never been on a political protest in their lives before. Who packed up their kids, pets and lives, and went down to Wellington to express their profound disapproval of the actions of the Government.
Whether they were 'right' or 'wrong' really doesn't matter. What matters is that they were (and many still are) profoundly convinced that they had a grievance over the way they had been treated by the Government.
Telling them to "Go Home!" is utterly dismissive of them and their concerns. And simply fosters the divisions in NZ society.
Talking to people (even people you dislike and/or think are misguided, pig-headed and just plain wrong) is part of what politicians have to do.
False equivalence if ever there was one.
Jacinda Ardern did not tell them to "Go home – exclamation mark." That is a false innuendo. She was asked by reporters and journalists to the effect "Have you a message for the protesters?" On the basis it was an illegal protest, she advised them to "go home." She said it in a calm, measured and respectful tone of voice.
I suggest misrepresenting the prime minister's response to a question is fostering divisions in society.
Have a look at what you quoted above (complete with exclamation mark).
If you got it wrong, don't blame me for your errors.
My errors.
Glad you're acknowledging them.
When you stop trying to bully some commenters and introducing false narratives – presumably because you think it is clever – then I will stop calling you out.
When you can actually read your own quotes – then I'll stop calling you out.
We are talking about a movement deliberately fostering social division and unrest, drawing on overseas tactics and finance. The parliamentary occupation was hardly a one-off.
Politicians refusing to talk with agitators spouting nonsense and threatening violence is not 'fostering division'. There is no security service in the world who would allow a national leader to sit down with those particular people, no matter how many oblivious hippies were alongside them singing and crapping on the lawn.
Do you seriously expect any rational conversation would emerge? Or is it just about helping Tamaki and the nazi hangers-on feel better that they have been heard? We have seen how appeasing fascists turns out. No thanks.
We are talking about a movement deliberately fostering social division
No Sacha.
This deliberately fostered social division…
Again, the experts must be wrong. Those more open to reason can read the links Stuart kindly provided below at #10.
I love the Battle of the Binaries.
"And on the topic of alienating and marginalising the angry and disenfranchised…."
So, Rosemary, do you feel the white supremists, "angry and disenfranchised", should be accorded the same courtesy as you recommend above?
Ardern's tactic over 5 years is: never allow anyone else control the media message. Especially not dirty people.
She's a lot worse than Clark or Key for that: exceedingly brittle.
Ardern is now really struggling to generate any kind of persona different from a set-piece wonder in front of a mike stand – which she did for over a year. Then did more set-piece mike stand wonder for three months this year on the international circuit.
She won't speak to oiks if she doesn't have comms control – and never will.
When you write, "oiks" do you mean those folk who carried a gallows to the steps of Parliament?
Those "oiks"?
That's weird. When I want the PM to hear me I email her office.
You could try a letter if you're more traditional – postage is free to Parliament.
Thanks Rosemary. This cops story support what the psychologist was saying in the interview.
Don't forget the number of Police deaths following the Jan 6 invasion of the Capitol. Nobody with half a brain is going to put the blame for those on the other defenders of American democratic processes.
You need to remember V you aren't engaging with logic or rational argument. It's a waste of time trying to explain the facts or use logic when those you are responding to aren't.
Went into Farro in Grey Lynn (2nd time ever) on Saturday. Nice place to shop, the way food shopping should be and might have been if we had stopped supermarkets in their tracks 50 years ago. Quality stuff but scarily expensive. Nobody unmasked. Zero. The rich didn't get rich by being irrational.
Yep, I shop at Farro …. with care. It's great for some things (excellent quality meat and cheeses) – but I do the bulk of the grocery shop at Pak n Save.
Just too expensive, otherwise….
Was there on Sunday – at the Constellation Drive store – majority masked – but not all.
A couple of the specialist food shops that I go to occasionally (when the weekend uber-service-for-the-teen takes me in that direction), require masking to enter. I guess that they are sufficiently secure in their customer base, that they can afford to do so.
They do offer a call in and pay online service, with pick up on a table outside – if you are unable to mask for any reason.
Hearing anecdotally from friends in retail, that abuse from the public over requests for mask-wearing is continuing and accelerating – both in highly wealthy areas – Parnell/Remers, etc., and in more middle-class ones (if anything in Auckland can be called middle class, these days!). They're just not willing to have their staff cop the abuse – and nor should they have to.
Observationally – mask-wearing is continuing to drop in general.
Pak'n'Save Mt Albert this morning – store very busy – saw 2 people only without masks.
At Glenfield Mall this afternoon (had to drop in and collect something from a shop) – approx 10% masked…..
I see NRT has made the elementary mistake in the 'plugging to loophole' item available on the feeds of thinking the donations court case on currently is prosecuting either National or Labour. It isn't. It is a prosecution against people who made or facilitated donations.
The loophole (hopefully) being plugged has nothing to do the case/s currently in court.
It's entirely due to the horse-and-cart-sized gap in the legislation that the NZF case revealed.
[I still believe that the judge was wrong in his interpretation of the law – but belt-and-braces – better to legislatively and finally close any apparant loophole]
All parties (or at least all of the ones currently in parliament) are in agreement that this needs to be stopped very firmly indeed. They're only in disagreement about the legal mechanism for doing so (Labour/Greens want to use their current bill; National/Act don't agree with the matters already covered in that bill, and want a separate piece of legislation they can support 100%).
The current case is primarily prosecuting the donors, but also insiders within the parties who facilitated the deception.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/129380629/paintings-wine-coverups-and-a-royal-honour–crowns-case-in-political-party-donations-trial
NRT incorrectly stated Labour Party officials are currently being prosecuted. They aren't. The link to a press item to the current case is a description of party officials giving evidence as witnesses (not being prosecuted).
Given that the Labour party ‘insiders’ all (apparently) have name suppression – you must have some inside knowledge to state so categorically that they are not Labour Party officials.
No – I just know how to read and not to make things up.
Categorically saying that the case isn't prosecuting either National or Labour – is a bit disingenuous.
Because there are very clearly people who 'used to be' party members (I'm sure they've very quickly been given the boot) from both National (JL Ross) and Labour (people with name suppression) who are facing charges alongside the donors.
There is no way that the donors invented this scenario themselves – there were bagmen within the parties who were handling and facilitating this evasion of Electoral law donation reporting requirements.
It may be sloppy language/usage from NRT – but your statement doesn't pass the sniff test, either.
Keep changing your story and you might eventually get to what I actually said about the NRT comment.
Keep dodging and diving, and you just might approach reality.
You can only keep pretending that Labour is perfect for so long…..
Your quote
” prosecuting either National or Labour. It isn’t. It is a prosecution against people who made or facilitated donations.”
Reality: The people being prosecuted include both the donors and people who were (at the time) inside the party facilitating the donations.
There are no clean hands here….
It can be a mucky business, Politics; dirty even.
No one is suggesting the Labour Party is perfect. This case is a case against individuals, not political parties. The fact that party officials are testifying as witness supports this. If you have evidence that the two parties (including their officials) are on trial then why don't you provide it, rather than speculating, as NRT did. Finally, if those with name suppression turn out to be party members (I don't know whether that is the case) that does not mean that the political parties were guilty of anything. Asserting they are is simply a further example of misinformation, which is sadly all too common these days.
The mis and disinformation surge has attracted a fair amount of serious treatment here in NZ, in part no doubt due to events like the Christchurch shooting.
The Royal Society has had a couple of decent speakers on the matter.
I encourage people to familiarize themselves with the Disinformation Project, who have put out some study on the occupation of Parliament grounds, and continue to monitor what seem to be a group of bad and/or foreign actors.
Byron Clark also has a well researched article on the occupation, which, oddly, even has links to the New Federal State of China campaign.
Looks like wedge politics to me. A tactic for splitting the left that's as old as the hills. When you go to TBD and hear people who consider themselves to be the 'real' left sounding like right wing libertarians, you know something is afoot.
If so, it's a new variant – Trumpism seems to be a factor.
The Murdochization of our media has chained the watchdogs that once guarded our state from malicious actions of this kind.
So here's a question for you pundit prophets.
GDP growth is unstable but still good.
Gross domestic product: March 2022 quarter | Stats NZ
Unemployment is very low at 3.2% with underutilisation at 9%.
Unemployment rate remains at 3.2 percent | Stats NZ
But now the borders have flung open to our inbound tourists as of 29 July. So demand for tourism jobs and travel jobs is skyrocketing.
Thousands of roles up for grabs at Auckland Airport job fair (1news.co.nz)
And competition between companies for staff is just massive.
We're going to have to start pulling more out of NEETS, long term welfare dependency, and jail to do good stuff.
So can we get to 2.5% unemployed?
So can we get to 2.5% unemployed?
Easily – once wages and conditions catch up with employer rhetoric.
To date desperate shortages of workers have not caused a lot of pay bumps – it's more common to get one by changing employers than to be offered one in situ.
Not sure what you mean by pay bumps. Friends in hospo are advertising and willing to pay more than $25/hr for kitchen hands, and dishwashers (no experience, just a work ethic – i.e. turn up for their shift)
It's a heck of a lot better than minimum wage or jobseeker benefit.
Do as Tamati Coffey and his partner did, just sell the lease. Let someone else do that. Btw, that lease got sold to some Non Kiwis who are going to put a US Franchise – some rip of Mexican pre-cooked, deep frozen food. You don't really need any staff for that.
I know nothing about Coffey – but know how much strain and pressure that friends in hospo in Auckland have been under in the last couple of years.
Can absolutely understand that it becomes too much, and people want out.
And, yes, lots of hospo businesses fail – and there's an argument that we're exploiting low-wage workers when we dine out (at restaurants keeping prices low).
But what's the alternative — that we only have mega chains (which, BTW have salaries at the rock bottom) and high-priced tourist-dollar fine dining (which I certainly can't afford to go to regularly)?
He and his partner had two Hospo businesses in Vegas on Eat Street. Did ok until they kicked out a lady for not wearing a mask and in the end the town stopped going there. So they sold their lease. It was bigly in the Herald. The reason i say they sold their lease is because if you sell your business usually the name / theme stays. The indian fellow how bought Tamati and his partner out of the 'Our house' and 'Ponsonby' bars will gut the places and put in a US American Franchise that serves gentrified mexican food.
Fwiw, Tamati killed his business by kicking out a Maori lady and it did not go well with the locals.
Yes, when the re-alignment is finished that is what you will have, fast food for the masses and very high priced fatty beef for the rich.
It’s not just about money, although until the minimum wage rises hospo workers were certainly underpaid. It is much more about the bullying, and generally abusive behaviour which is widespread practise by owners and managers and which has been acknowledged publicly by senior players in the restaurant business. This is what really affects the quality of life for people on the bottom rung in hospo. Many of them are permanently sad if not clinically depressed about having to go and spend another shift being treated like shit. I watched my daughters experience in this ‘industry’ for over a decade; heard her work stories and tried to comfort her as the tears fell. I tried to talk her into resigning (after counselling her on how to manage the toxic behaviours failed) , but she was too proud to go on the dole so continued jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire for years as she tried to find a good employer and a workplace with a non-toxic culture. I suppose such places must exist but locating them is a little like trying to translate lead into gold. I have a very jaundiced view of the personality types who decide to invest in an industry which is known to operate on such a perverse business model.
What's on offer ATM is a heck of a lot more than minimum wage.
I agree that some hospo businesses have been dire for bullying and staff welfare (some are good – others often absolutely appalling).
The good news about the worker shortage is that workers can get some of the issues addressed – or just pick up their pay cheque and shift to a better workplace. Or out of the industry into something else (all of those customer-service skills are highly transferrable).
Most of the people I know in hospo are working in small restaurants/cafes/bakeries (just one in a high-profile restaurant) – these are the local businesses that I support, and want to keep running. They improve the quality of my life and my community.
New Zealand has a shortage in synthetic estrogen. Woot Woot!
I am on hormone replacement therapy thanks to a hysterectomy blablabla……
Today i take my refill to the pharmacy and was advised to call well before my patches run out to get a refill as they can not guarantee that they can fill that prescription.
Oh well. I guess its just the times.
Ethnic Russians remain safely tucked up at home while poor minorities from the
coloniesautonomous regions do all the suffering and dying.Sounds familiar.
https://twitter.com/kamilkazani/status/1553773561659154434
https://twitter.com/kamilkazani/status/1553777099634364418
It’s not a surprise that military recruitment has regional variance. Here’s another example of it, but with a different framing:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/chuckdevore/2020/02/19/states-that-defend-uswhere-do-our-military-volunteers-call-home/?sh=3dfd638c534c
Except that you're comparing apples and oranges. The US has a voluntary professional military. Russia has compulsory service for all able-bodied males between the ages of 18 and 28.
In that they are both types of fruit, yes, but okay. What is similar between the two methods of recruiting is independent access to higher education mostly precludes military service; in Russia if you are a student you aren't subject to conscription and there are numerous other legal ways to avoid it.
in the us you join the army to get an education and medical care. lol